A review by karen_k77
Glow, by Amy Kathleen Ryan
4.0
This book wasn't what I expected, and I think that's what threw me off. Originally, I wasn't going to give this more than a two-star rating, maybe a three-star one. But then I stopped to think about it, and honestly, this book deserves a lot more than that.
I thought it was going to be a standard love-triangle story line vaguely disguised as a science fiction/social commentary. I liked Waverly well enough, but I was all geared up for her story to revolve around her Kieran/Seth struggle, and I knew that wouldn't appeal to me. I was prepared to dislike Kieran for being bland and uninteresting, and to maybe like Seth because he would be the opposite. I was set in my expectations about fifty pages in, and that's my mistake, because the book turned out to be nothing like what I thought. Prepare for long rants about the three main characters, and why they're great.
Waverly's story line actually had very little to do with Kieran or Seth. She's physically removed from them for most of the book, so beyond missing her boyfriend sometimes, neither boy is in her thoughts that much. I loved that. It's not that romance is bad, or detracts from a character's presence, but it was a pleasant surprise to have a good female character who had romance in her life, but who wasn't defined by it. That kind of character isn't rare, but I don't find it as much as I'd like, and it endeared me to Waverly even more. Her story was interesting and brutal, her actions/reactions were honest and strong without being over-the-top, and the presence of the main story made any thoughts she did have about the boys seem more appropriate and understandable.
Kieran was also a pleasant surprise, if only because he was both stronger and weaker than I anticipated; in other words, he was actually interesting. He struggled with things, he made mistakes, he won some, lost some, and he grew and changed for it. I loved all of that about him. Contrived romances don't only detract from female characters; a lot of the time, male romantic interests tend to lack personality. A lot of the time, they seem like vehicles of physical/emotional attraction and nothing else, an entity that wouldn't be substantial when separated from the romance. Kieran was not like this. He was hopelessly in love with Waverly, but he also had a personality and story separate from that fact. That being said, I wasn't a fan of him as a person.
Same with Seth. I expected to like Seth as a person but not as a character, and it turned out to be the exact opposite. I dislike him as a person, but I absolutely love him as a character. He's also just plain interesting. He's way more than just a kid that moons over a girl from afar, a broody dunce with nothing better to think about than his love. He had more bad qualities than good, but his perspective is also the one we didn't get to see, so his intentions are shrouded in mystery. Is he an anti-hero with violent tendencies, or is he just plain evil? Is he good or bad, in the end? I really want to know.
And for once, I also want to know what happens with the romance, if only because I want to see if Waverly realizes how poisonous both of those relationships would be, and dumps both of them in the dust. The only thing I'd say against the characters is that I found it hard to relate to Kieran or Seth. Their story is a power struggle between the two, and I wasn't sure who I wanted to root for, since Seth seemed violently cruel and Kieran seemed indecisive and whiny. It made Kieran's chapters a little bit of a struggle.
The story itself, separate from the characters, was also interesting. Female reproductive rights/misogyny are hot topics right now, so it was intriguing to see a science fiction built on that foundation. It made Anne Mather a more believable antagonist, since we saw where she was coming from, and it added a fascinating spin on the whole thing; instead of black and white, good and bad, the story comes from both sides making mistakes fueled by anger and hatred. It was compelling. I'm so invested in knowing what happens. And the space thing was done decently, considering its a science fiction where science is not the point.
The writing style is the only thing I wasn't excited about. Amy Kathleen Ryan is a good writer, but not a distinct one, and if there's anything about the book I feel no passion for, it's her prose. But that's fine, because she's crafted a crazy engaging story with it.
At first, I wasn't sure how much I liked this book. Intellectually, I think it's an amazing book. The characters and their progressions are fascinating, and the story itself is also worth getting excited about. The writing is done well enough. But I got more excited thinking about it and dissecting it in my head than I did when I was actually reading it, and I think that's what's keeping me from giving it five stars. It's like the book's ideas transcend the way it was written.
But overall, I definitely recommend it to anyone interested in reading it. It's worth your time, in more ways than one.
I thought it was going to be a standard love-triangle story line vaguely disguised as a science fiction/social commentary. I liked Waverly well enough, but I was all geared up for her story to revolve around her Kieran/Seth struggle, and I knew that wouldn't appeal to me. I was prepared to dislike Kieran for being bland and uninteresting, and to maybe like Seth because he would be the opposite. I was set in my expectations about fifty pages in, and that's my mistake, because the book turned out to be nothing like what I thought. Prepare for long rants about the three main characters, and why they're great.
Waverly's story line actually had very little to do with Kieran or Seth. She's physically removed from them for most of the book, so beyond missing her boyfriend sometimes, neither boy is in her thoughts that much. I loved that. It's not that romance is bad, or detracts from a character's presence, but it was a pleasant surprise to have a good female character who had romance in her life, but who wasn't defined by it. That kind of character isn't rare, but I don't find it as much as I'd like, and it endeared me to Waverly even more. Her story was interesting and brutal, her actions/reactions were honest and strong without being over-the-top, and the presence of the main story made any thoughts she did have about the boys seem more appropriate and understandable.
Kieran was also a pleasant surprise, if only because he was both stronger and weaker than I anticipated; in other words, he was actually interesting. He struggled with things, he made mistakes, he won some, lost some, and he grew and changed for it.
Spoiler
And frankly, his religious fervor at the end, with all its sinister tones and promises of further character development/devolution, was what made me excited for the second book; I'm excited to see where it takes him, and how Waverly reacts to it, and what it does to the overall story line. God, I hope he turns evil.Same with Seth. I expected to like Seth as a person but not as a character, and it turned out to be the exact opposite. I dislike him as a person, but I absolutely love him as a character. He's also just plain interesting. He's way more than just a kid that moons over a girl from afar, a broody dunce with nothing better to think about than his love. He had more bad qualities than good, but his perspective is also the one we didn't get to see, so his intentions are shrouded in mystery. Is he an anti-hero with violent tendencies, or is he just plain evil? Is he good or bad, in the end? I really want to know.
And for once, I also want to know what happens with the romance, if only because I want to see if Waverly realizes how poisonous both of those relationships would be, and dumps both of them in the dust. The only thing I'd say against the characters is that I found it hard to relate to Kieran or Seth. Their story is a power struggle between the two, and I wasn't sure who I wanted to root for, since Seth seemed violently cruel and Kieran seemed indecisive and whiny. It made Kieran's chapters a little bit of a struggle.
The story itself, separate from the characters, was also interesting. Female reproductive rights/misogyny are hot topics right now, so it was intriguing to see a science fiction built on that foundation. It made Anne Mather a more believable antagonist, since we saw where she was coming from, and it added a fascinating spin on the whole thing; instead of black and white, good and bad, the story comes from both sides making mistakes fueled by anger and hatred. It was compelling. I'm so invested in knowing what happens. And the space thing was done decently, considering its a science fiction where science is not the point.
The writing style is the only thing I wasn't excited about. Amy Kathleen Ryan is a good writer, but not a distinct one, and if there's anything about the book I feel no passion for, it's her prose. But that's fine, because she's crafted a crazy engaging story with it.
At first, I wasn't sure how much I liked this book. Intellectually, I think it's an amazing book. The characters and their progressions are fascinating, and the story itself is also worth getting excited about. The writing is done well enough. But I got more excited thinking about it and dissecting it in my head than I did when I was actually reading it, and I think that's what's keeping me from giving it five stars. It's like the book's ideas transcend the way it was written.
But overall, I definitely recommend it to anyone interested in reading it. It's worth your time, in more ways than one.